The Highlands Is Getting a New Hobby — The Hobby Lobby, That Is

Photo by Joselyn King
A Hobby Lobby store will be constructed this winter on a plot between Best Buy and Cabela’s at The Highlands.

TRIADELPHIA — Quilters, crafters and home decorators, ready those handpainted shopping bags: Hobby Lobby is coming to The Highlands.

The Oklahoma City retailer has been running ads seeking managers for a new store location in Triadelphia.

Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton, also president of the Ohio County Development Authority, confirmed Hobby Lobby is coming to The Highlands.

It will be between Cabela’s and Best Buy, and construction will take place over the winter.

“They will be open in March, according to to them. And that’s OK with us,” Wharton said. “They appear to have a very aggressive construction schedule.”

The company is leasing the property from the Ohio County Development Authority. When completed, the store will encompass 55,000 square feet.

Wharton said the authority was excited about Hobby Lobby coming to the area. Members expect it will generate a lot of sales tax and bring in traffic to The Highlands.

“We have been working on this for about a year,” Wharton said.

“It was kind of complicated, and a big deal trying to put it together. There were a lot of ‘i’s’ to be dotted and ‘t’s’ to be crossed.

“It’s a nice company, and it will hire a lot of people.”

Calls to Hobby Lobby’s corporate office were not returned Friday.

On its website, Hobby Lobby reports it is “the largest privately owned arts-and-crafts retailer in the world with approximately 32,000 employees and operating in 47 states.”

It describes itself as being primarily an arts-and-crafts store. But Hobby Lobby also includes merchandise pertaining to hobbies, picture framing, jewelry making, fabrics, floral and wedding supplies, cards and party ware, baskets, wearable art, home accents and holiday merchandise.

Wharton said he expects announcements from two or three more tenants at The Highlands to come after the first of the year.